Jim McDermott Part 4, SGLT2 Effects On Patients

In part 4 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Jim McDermott discusses SGLT2 effects on patients in the DURATION-8 study, and the continuation of the study in 2018, in a conversation with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA 2017 Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA.

Jim McDermott, PhD, is the Vice President of U.S. Medical Affairs, Diabetes at AstraZeneca.

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Transcript of this video segment:

Freed: Do you know what the response was for patients?

McDermott: No I do not. In terms of how they felt? No I do not. I can tell you I was involved in Farxiga in terms of the early development and it was interesting because if you talk to some of the study coordinators many patients could identify if they were on drug or placebo because they could experience weight loss, they could experience blood pressure reduction if they measure their blood pressure. What I’ve heard is patients are really satisfied with this medication because again limited side effects and great A1C reduction, weight loss, and blood pressure reduction.

Freed: How long was this study?

McDermott: This was a 52-week study but it is going to continue on for another year.

Freed: That was my next question: if you lower A1C, you lower blood pressure, you lose weight and then all the sudden you say we’re taking the drug away, that would cause havoc. So they’re running it for another year?

McDermott: That is correct. We believe that you see the stability because many drugs, their effects wane over time. With this combination we saw the results at 28 weeks and now at 52 weeks and the 52 weeks are very similar to what we saw at 28 weeks and we believe we’re going to see similar control after three years.

Freed: So this would be a very ideal drug for people with an A1C that is certainly around nine and below. Anything higher I would think that insulin would be the first thing that most physicians would give. But now it’s another option. If we go back to 1950, we had one drug and insulin. It took us 50 years to develop one drug. Now, 1995 to today, if you count the number of combinations including insulin in a triple or quadruple therapy, we’re talking in the millions of possible combinations

McDermott: And I think that is great for physicians and patients because then they can find the right medication that gives them benefit with low risk of side effects.